Musical Theatre Recap - Aladdin July Holidays
Day 1 - The kids arrived nervously and full of anticipation for what this week was going to be like but any shred of nerves was quickly shaken after our warm-up and welcome games. Within a few hours everyone knew each other's name and even made a few friends. We split the kids up into groups so we could learn our words and actions simultaneously. The first day we learnt the songs “Speechless” & “A Whole New World”. We practiced these until the afternoon with games in between. It was clear we had some tired faces but everyone was buzzing when they left that first day, keen to know what we were going to learn in the days to come.
Day 2 - Once everyone was in we played some more games to get the energy levels up for another BIG day of learning our words and actions. On this day we tackled the more difficult songs “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali”. The kids took on this challenge like champs and smashed it out. We had a bit of down time in the afternoon to let them recoup as it had been a HUGE 2 days of near constant singing and dancing. Even though it had only been 2 days, everything was falling into place so nicely.
Day 3 - Today was the day, the day we gave out roles to the kids. After morning tea the kids all sat down in a big circle waiting eagerly to hear their names being called with their chosen characters. The excitement in the room was infectious, there was laughter and bright smiles as the kids found out who they were going to portray in our Aladdin play. We did a script read through so the kids knew what to expect and to get familiar with their lines. Some of the older kids took their scripts and practiced all lunch time so they were ready for another run through once we all came back together after the break. In the afternoon we made a little stage area and started acting out some of the scenes. Before we knew it, it was home time.
Day 4 - Another morning arrived and we were in full practice mode. We sang our songs accompanied by our dance moves and also practiced going on and off the stage. Georgia and myself were blown away by how obvious it was that the kids had gone home and practiced what it seemed like all night. Practically everyone knew their lines or needed very minimal prompting by the narrator. We ran through the play 3-4 times that day as showday was the NEXT day and we wanted to be as prepared as possible. After morning tea we dove into the costume box which is always chaotic but super fun. The kids loved being able to find things to wear that would transform them into their characters. In the afternoon we also got busy making props for our stage, to set the scene. We made mandela pattern bunting, a silver and gold crepe paper castle, paper chains and of course a TON of gold and silver coins and confetti.
Day 5 - SHOW DAY. You could feel the nervous excitement as the kids came in on this day. Everyone was eager to show their parents what they had been working so hard on. We had a dress rehearsal before morning tea and tied up a few loose ends. The kids were feeling confident in these last practices and the play was looking SO good. They had done so much work in the last 4 days to pull this production together. We ran through the play one last time after lunch, we set out the chairs and waited for everyone's parents to arrive. 2pm rolled around and parents were starting to fill the room. As background music played, chatter filled the room. The kids shook out their nerves and it was time to start the play. 35 minutes later the play was over and the room roared with applause. The look of accomplishment was painted over everyone's faces. With one final bow the jammed packed week of acting, dancing and singing was over. All of the kids did a fantastic job and wowed the audience. Their hard work and determination made the play a success all while having heaps of fun in the process.
Written by Jasmine Reeves